Rotary mixer



Sept. 30, 1952 D. w. DRoN 2,612,354

ROTARY MIXER g l J INVENToR. Doug/as W Dron.

Sept 30 1952 AD. w. DRoN 2,612,354

ROTARY MIXER Filed May 24, 1951 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 .INI/ENTOR. Doug/as W Droz?. BY

Patented Sept. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY MIXER Douglas W. Dron, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., assignor to The De Laval ,Separator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 24, 1951, serial No. 227,988

l 1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to devices for effecting intimate mixtures of different liquids, and has yfor its principal object the provision of an imagent are passed continuously through a rotary mixer, some types of oil require a more prolonged mixing with the reagent than other types, if the proper mixing period is to be provided in each case. Some oils react better to slow speed intimate mixing and some to fast speed intimate mixing.

The mixer of the present invention is so constructed that it can be readily increased or decreased in size by varying the number of mixing stages and thereby adjusting the duration of the mixing time on the liquids passing through the device. A mixing device made according to the invention comprises a main housing section having an inlet passage or passages for the liquids to be mixed, and a drive shaft rotatably mounted in this section. A second or intermediate housing Asection is removably secured to the first section and forms therewith a closed mixing chamber for receiving the liquids from the inlet passage, the sections having interltting faces to form a tight joint between the sections. Within the chamber is a rotary mixing member, preferably a disc having'radial ribs or caulks, which is secured to and driven by the drive shaft. An extension of this shaft is releasably connected to it and rotatable in a central bore in the second housing section. The latter section also has a flow channel leading from the mixing chamber to a second mixing chamber formed by the second section and a third section removably secured thereto, the third section` having an outlet passage for the mixed liquids. This second chamber contains another rotary mixing member secured to and driven by the shaft extension, which is preferably held by part of the third section against endwise displacement and detachment from the main shaft. The second and third sections have intertting faces identical with the interfitting faces of the first third section is adapted to fit against the. face of the first section to form a chamber similar to the ilrstv mixing chamber but having the outlet passage. l

With this construction, the duration of the mixing action may be decreased by simply removing the second section, its shaftextension and the second mixing rotor from the assembly and securing the third or outlet section directly to the first or inlet section. Alternatively, the mixing action may be prolonged by inserting between the inlet and outlet sections, an additional section or sections similar to the second section, together with the shaft extension and mixing rotor for each additional section. Consequently, by providing several intermediate housing' sections and corresponding shaft .extensions with rotors, the number of mixing stages and therefore the mixing action and duration may be easily varied over a wide range.

In the preferred construction, each mixing rotor comprises a disc having a set of short radial ribs or caulks staggered on each face. I have found that in this Way a more vigorous agitation and a more intimate mixing of the liquids are obtained. v

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a preferred form of the new mixer;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged face view of part of one of the rotary mixing members; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the device with the` intermediate housing section eliminated to provide only one mixing stage.

Referring to Figs. l, 2 and 3, the devicevthere 4 shown comprises amain housing section I0 having at one end a flange Illa by which this section is connected to an electric motor l I, as by means of bolts I2. The motor II has a drive shaft Ila extending into a central bore in the housing section I0. The latter contains packing elements I3 surrounding the drive shaft and compressed against it by means of a sleeve I4, the sleeve being held against the packing by bolts ila threaded into the'central portion Illb of the main housing section. l

At its opposite end, the main housing section I0 has a fiange |00 secured to an intermediate housing section I6. The intermediate housing section I6 comprises a central hub I1 and flanges I8 and I 9 extending radially from the ends of the hub. The flanges IIlc and I8 have interfitting faces 10d and 18a, respectively, and define a mixing chamber 20. A gasket 2l may be interposed between the faces i3d and Ita to prevent leakage from the mixing chamber. Within the chamber 20 is a rotary mixing member 22 in the form of a disc having a hub 22a. The disc hub is releasably secured to and driven by an extension 23 ofthe driveshaft Ila. As shown at 23a, the extension 23 `is driven from shaft Ila through a releasable joint which enables the extension 23 to be withdrawn from` the drive shaft. The main housing section I3 has separate inlet passages 24 and 25 which The mixture is finally discharged from the de- .vice through the outlet passage 3i of the second merge into an annular inlet passage 2S leading',l

to the inner portion of chamber 20 around the hub 22a.

The hub l1 of the intermediate housing section has a central bore Ha" for receiving the outer It also end portion of the shaft extension 23. has a series of arcuate channels l'ib spaced around the bore Ha and leading from the mixing chamber 2U. Q Y A third housing section 28 is releasably ser cured to the iiange I9 of the intermediate section I and forms therewith a second mixing chamber 29. The ange I9 yand the housing section 28 have interfitting peripheral faces Ida and 23`a,`respectively,I which are identical with the interfitting faces d and 18a, respectively. n A lgasket 33 maybe interposed between the facesflSa and 23a, to form a tight joint. The section 28 has an axial boss 28h forming an outlet passage 3| aligned with the drive shaft Ila, A second rotary mixingrmember v32 is dis-` posed in 'the chamber v29 and has a hub 32a secured to .and driven by a shaft extension 33. The extension ,33 extends into the central bore Ha of the intermediate section l5 and is driven from the extension 23 through a releasable joint 33a which permits the extension 33 to be withdrawn Vfrom the extension 23. At its o uter end, theextension 33 has a reduced conical portion 33h rotatable in a socket formed .by a spider 3A of housing section 28. ,'Ihus, the spider 34 supports the outer end portion of extension 33 for rotation in the housing, and prevents sepa- 'rationof the shaft extensions 23 and 33 from each' other or from the main shaft lla.

The housing sections are secured together by releasable means comprising bolts 35 and 35a, to hold the faces ld-la and 19a-28a, in intertting relation. The bolts 35 extend through the peripheral portions of the housing sections and their respective interiitting faces.

The mixing rotors 22 and 32 are in the form of .discs and are yprovided on both faces with radial ribs or caulks. `As shown particularly in Fig. 3, each face of the disc 22 has a set of radial ribs or caulks 22h staggered around it. The mixing rotor 32 is identical to the rotor 22.

In the operation of the mixing' device, the liquids to be mixed are deliveredvthrough the inlet passages 24 and 25 and the annular passage'25 into the central portion of chamber 20 around the rotor hub 22a.Due to the high speed rotation of the rotor22 andthe action of the staggered ribs or caulks 22o and 22e, the liquids are subjected to violent agitation in the chamber to form an intimate mixture of the liquids. The mixture is forced to flow in a conned expanding path from the annular passage 26 to the outer portion of chamber'20, thence around the periphery of rotor 22, and thenvina contracting path to the channels Hb in-the hub ofthe intermediate section'. The flowl of` the mixture in thismanner. while in mixing chamber. It will be understood that the outlet section 28 of the housing may be provided with a'suitable adapter (not shown) to facilitate connection of the discharge passage 3| to a pipeline for conveying the mixture to the next operation in the process. Similarly. the inlet section l0 of the housing may be provided with suitable adapters (not shown) to facilitate connection ofthe inletfpassages"f24 and 25 to the supply pipes for ythey liquids to be mixed. n

/For some purposes, the two stages of mixing' as illustrated in Fig. 1 may be unnecessary or even undesirable. In such a case, the device may be'readily converted to provide only a single stage of mixing, as illustrated invFig. 4. As there shown, the intermediatev housing section I6 has been removed by unfastening the -bolts and nuts 35--35a, and the outlet section 28 has been secured directly tothe inlet section Il). Thus, a single mixing chamber 36 is provided which is similar to the'rst stagechamber' 2.0 (Fig. l) except that it is provided with the outlet passage 3l. Also, theV second rotor 32 is omitted, and the shaft 'extension 33 is vsub'- stituted for the extension 23 so that conical porfl tion 33h is received in the socket of the spider 34. Consequently, the extension 33 is prevented from moving away from the main shaft lla and breaking the releasable driving connection 33a between these parts..

If it is desired to add another stage of mixing to the two stages illustrated in Fig. 1, this may be accomplished by simply removing the outletsection 28, securing another intermediate section I6 to the flange I9, adding another rotor 22 and its shaft extension 23 in the intermediate chamber thus formed, and then Vreconnecting the shaft extension 33, rotor'32 and outlet section 28. l It will be .apparent that any number of mixing stages may be added in this manner, the section 28 and shaft extension 33 being located at the outer end of the nal assembly, and the rotor 32 always being at the end operating against end bell 28.

I claim: l v

A device for mixing together different liquids, whichv comprises a housing section having an inlet passage for the liquids, a drive 'shaft rotatably mounted inV saidsection, a second housing section removably secured to the first section and forming therewith a mixing chamber communieating with the inlet passage, said sections hav,- ing interfitting faces to form a tight joint between the sections, the second section having a bore and a iiow' channel leading from said chamber,"a shaftextension'rotatable in the bore and de-4 taehably connected to said shaft, a third housV ing section removably secured Vto the second section and' forming therewith a second mixing chamber communicating through` the owchannel with the first chamber. said third section having an outlet passage for mixed liquids, said second and third sections having intertting faces identical with said rst interfitting faces of the rst and second sections, respectively, whereby the third section is adapted to fit against said face of the rst section to form a chamber similar to the first chamber but having said outlet passage, releasable means for securing the housing faces in said intertting relation, and rotary mixing members in the chambers secured, respectively, to said shaft and extension, said second section having a central hub containing said bore and channel and also having a flange outer portion of each flange, said third section having an element engaging the adjacent end of the shaft extension to support the same for rotation and surrounded by said outlet passage.

DOUGLAS W. DRON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,630,406 Prillwitz May 31, 1927 1,771,321 Snow July 22, 1930 1,790,967 Auerback Feb. 3, 1931 1,819,118 Preleuthner Aug. 18, 1931 1,952,638 Taylor Mar. 27, 1934 v2,053,876 Pfau et a1. Sept. 8, 1936 2,077,226 De Bethune Apr. 13, 1937 2,169,338 Ditto Aug. 15, 1939 

